Hiking Lake Waikaremoana -- New Zealand

We spent four days/three nights hiking around Lake Waikaremoana with the NZ company Walking Legends. There were 5 of us on the hike, along with Brad (the bearded guy) who was our guide.

The hike was challenging. In New Zealand, they call them "tramps" and they rated this one as moderate, but by our standards it was pretty hard. I would call it a "scramble" with a very rough track. Lots of tree roots to negotiate and a several sections where we went up and down and up and down and .... When we first heard about it, we sort of thought about this as a "walk around a lake." But it was much more than that.

All of which is not to say that the hike wasn't well worth doing. On the contrary, the trek was through some wonderfully beautiful country, it was well-organized, and we both had a real sense of accomplishment in the doing of it. We are pleased and proud to have done the hard work on this (and we should also note that some of our companions, who were younger than us, didn't find it particularly hard at all!).

The first day was a nice slow hike in from the entry point down to the lake. Waikaremoana means (if we remember correctly) "lake of rippling waters" and on a clear day it certainly deserves the name. The breezes across the lake set up ripples and waves that reflected the sunshine delightfully. The lake itself is located in Te Urewera national park, a rugged area of large mountain ranges. Amusingly, Urewera is Maori for "Burnt Penis" and commemorates an unfortunate event involving a Maori warrior and his camp fire -- one can only imagine.

We ended the first night at a wonderful cabin in the woods, right at the lake's edge. After a robust dinner and a good hard sleep it was off for the second day -- a much harder hike of 18 kilometers (11 miles) all on the same rough track. Still, even with the ups and downs the track was essentially flat near the water and pleasant enough.

The third day's hike proved a different story. Essentially, it was 4 hours of up and nothing but up through a silver beach tree forest with wonderful ferns grown throughout. As if "up" wasn't hard enough, it was raining all day. After a 600 meter climb, we arrived at the third hut soaked to the skin and dog-tired.

But oh what a great afternoon and evening. Soon Brad had a blazing fire going in the iron stove fireplace. We climbed out of the wet clothes and into dry ones and hung the wet ones up on the line above the fire to dry. The dinner was a simple chicken, vegetable stir-fry but it tasted fantastic. The only thing missing was the promised view of the lake -- the rain clouds set in and just covered the sky.

On the next morning, we took a group photo during a brief clear moment (that's it at the top) and then headed down, down, down to the waiting bus. It was dry this time around, but as always the stress of down on the knees is almost as challenging as the stress of up is on the quads. But we made it ... and at the bottom, Rob (the owner of Walking Legends) had waiting for us grilled sausage with onions and a beer. Honestly, we both thought it was probably the best meal we'd had in a long time -- nothing tastes better than a beer to wash down a hard physical effort and success.

We really can't say enough about Brad, our guide, and the Walking Legends team. The entire trek was well organized and put together, the people were friendly, and the scenery (despite the rain) was just magical. We are glad we got to see New Zealand in this special way.

Rotorua

We will double back to talk about our "tramp" around Lake Waikaremoana (which deserves a good long post) and skip over for a short post about our day in Rotorua. It was, as Katy says, "quainter than it seems." Indeed, it seemed like a small slice of yesteryear in the middle of this century.

We were able to get a better sense of the city thanks to our new friends, Paul and Jos, who picked us up at the hotel for a short tour. After a quick cup of coffee we went driving around. Down by the old bathhouse (which is now a museum) we saw people playing lawn bowling and croquet -- the croquet was actually wonderful to see with the players all wearing red jumpers and sun hats and sitting in little shaded huts while the other team played. All like a picture post card from the 1900s.

The tour continued with a trip around the lakeside (Rotorua's lake is a sulfur hot spring) where the scenery was delightful -- down to and including the lakeside Anglican church with the window looking over the lake. If you knelt in prayer, the window was precisely positioned so that the stained glass Jesus figure was walking on water. Another highlight was the local park where it was "Fairy Day" with dozens of little (and not so little) girl running around with fairy wings on.

After we left Paul and Jos (1000 thanks guys for a great visit) we went into the Polynesian Spa to sit in the sulfur hot tubs and have a much needed massage (after the long 4-day hike boy was it needed).

We finished the day with another great museum -- the new Maori wing of the Rotorua museum was a fantastic introduction to the Maori culture and well worth the time we spent. Between that one and the Te Papa in Wellington, we can definitely say that the New Zealanders have a lot of great ideas about how to make a native culture come alive -- in fact, we only wish that the American Indian museum in DC were as good!

From Rotorua, we left New Zealand behind. It was a long, three-legged hop but we are back in Australia now, in Adelaide, and looking forward to the last leg of our adventure.

Flying to Rotorua -- NSEA

Even though all pigs are created equal, some are less equal than others. So, too, with excellent adventures -- some are less excellent. And so we've created a new category for these -- the "Not-So-Excellent Adventure" or "NSEA." Today we report on our first of these, the flight to Rotorua.

We left Queenstown last Tuesday without too much trouble -- just a short delay into Wellington. That's when the "fun" started. Our flight to Rotarua was delayed on takeoff for more than an hour. When we finally left, the ride was quite bumpy, but we were content to be on the way (especially since our big hike around Lake Waikaremoana began the next morning at 8 AM).

Sadly, a prompt arrival was not in the cards. Weather in Rotorua stank. Our pilot tried TWICE to land (full flaps, gear down, etc.) but both times he couldn't see the runway and so we powered up and went around. Eventually, we were diverted to Hamilton where we landed 3 hours late at 7 PM. Of course, the airport was closed so there was no food. Dinner was two tins of tuna fish bought from a vending machine. The bus to Rotorua took about an hour to get organized and then we endured the rain-soaked 2 hour bus ride to the airport and a taxi (thank god there was a taxi there!) from the airport to our hotel.

Instead of arriving, as planned at 5 PM with a leisurely evening to pack up our bags for the hike and put the rest of our gear in storage, we got to the hotel at 10:30 PM. We hurriedly tried to repack for the hike (hoping we didn't forget anything) and had a horrid late night "dinner" from room service. We finally got to bed at 12:30 AM, with the alarm set for 6:30 AM for a wake up to begin a 4-day hike.

This truly qualifies as an NSEA -- but we just have to roll with the punches. Onward.

Milford Sound -- FAIL

Oh well. So much for the perfect vacation. We had been planning to go to Milford Sound yesterday. It is said to be a spectacular glacial fjord that you can cruise in with rocky peaks, and clear waters. [We did NOT take this picture but it should give you an idea of what we missed.]

There are two ways to get to Milford from Queenstown -- a 13 hour round trip bus ride or a 30 minute each way flight. We opted to fly but, unfortunately, the weather was not good -- too windy -- and the flight was cancelled. We might have made it on the bus, but ... we hadn't chosen that option.

There are worse things of course than being stuck in Queenstown. We went for a long walk along the lake and then went out wine tasting. Found some truly stunning wines at Peregrine Winery and actually bought some for shipment back to the States. Ask us for a taste when they arrive and you'll see what we mean. We also tried to go watch someone bungy jumping -- but unfortunately nobody was brave enough/stupid enough to do it while we were there, so all we saw was this deep, fear-inducing gorge.

And so, our trip on the South Island ends today. We fly north to Rotarua and tomorrow morning we begin a 4-day hike around Lake Waikaremoana. Should be fun, though they say it is raining up north today. In any event, we will be "off the grid" until Friday afternoon NZ time and there won't be any more blogs until then.

Spectacular!

That's really the only word to describe the west coast of New Zealand. We began in the north, in a forest with palm trees. Wandering south we have, variously: hiked to see seals playing on the rocks; watch western swells crash against the shore; seen a sunset; walked the beaches looking for jade; and kayaked on a sea-side lagoon in a double kayak looking for birds.

If that were all we had done that would be more than enough, but that was just yesterday. Today we took a helicopter ride up and around Mt. Cook (New Zealand's highest mountain) and landed on the Fox Glacier. We went to a salmon farm and had fresh caught salmon sashimi. We tried our hand at an amazingly hard maze. And we finished off watching the sun set again -- this time over amazing Lake Wanaka -- a 40 km long freshwater glacial lake that is absolutely stunning.

In many ways New Zealand is like the mountain West of the US -- but in most ways it is simply unique.

West Coast New Zealand

Today we began our drive down the west coast of New Zealand. It's amazing country -- rugged and windswept. We saw seals lazing on the rocks and watched water surge into the tidal pools creating spray and rainbows galore.

This evening we stopped at the Rocks Homestay in Punakaiki. Far and away the best place we've been -- a small eco-friendly home run by two Swiss expats, it comes with a home cooked dinner, breakfast tomorrow and a great room with the most magnificent view for miles around.

Here is a taste of sunset in Punakaiki:

Nelson -- Food, Wine, Art and .... Rugby

We've been in Nelson for 3 days now and it is a wonderful place. On the north edge of New Zealand's south island it is said to be the sunshine capital of the country-- and on our experience we would agree. The weather has been delightful during the days -- sunny and spring like -- with very cold nights.

Nelson is the type of place you want to go to if you enjoy food. We had 2 absolutely wonderful dinners at Hopgoods and the Boat Shed. Fresh fish, good wine ... yum.

On Monday we toured the wine country in Marlborough. It's a good thing they can't ship most of their wines to the US or we would have spent alot of money. As it is we bought a bottle to take with us on our travels! Today (Tuesday) we went art shopping -- the highlight was meeting Mike Ward, Green politician, Nelson mayoral candidate, artist, jewelery maker and utter character. It tells you everything you need to know about what sort of man he is that when Katy admired a small pen drawing he had done, he simply gave it to us as a gift.

There was also street craft fare with music today. Those guys up at the top of the post are the Ukes of Hazard -- and exactly like it sounds they played country music on their ukeleles! Weird but interesting.

Tonight was the US v. Italy game. The US lost 27-10, which in some sense is a strong game for us. But in the end we need to start winning those sorts of games. From here, it is onward - south down the west coast for the next 5 days ...the rugby is over and now the grand adventure really begins.

Katy's New Boyfriend

For those who are worried that our marriage might be on the rocks, new evidence emerges!

USA v. Australia and More Wellington

Well .... let's just say it was fun go to the match. The atmosphere was, really, quite different from any US sporting event we've ever been to, though it reminded us of college football -- with everyone wearing colors and painting their faces etc. It certainly was a party.

Unfortunately, the Eagles chose a second side to play mighty Australia. We understand the logic -- they were resting the first side for Tuesday's match against Italy whom we have a better chance of beating -- but it made for a lopsided match. At home we might have turned it off. Since we will go to Nelson for the next match, we only hope the plans work out!

Yesterday was a relaxing day -- we went off to the Weta Cave (where they made Lord of the Rings) to see how they do their magic and then had a wonderful dinner courtesy of Kevin Eager and his partner Val, with a couple of their Kiwi friends. Val made a wonderful lamb (of course -- it's New Zealand!) and then we watched the All Blacks v. France. It was grand to catch up with old friends from the DC area, but alas the dinner was all too short.

On to Nelson now ...

Wellington

Our second stop was Wellington. The city seems very livable. We are staying at a B&B close to downtown and the area down here is very walkable. We've put on alot of miles already this trip.

Wellington is not really a tourist city -- it is the seat of government and seems to be generally a working city (though there are alot of tourists here right now for the World Cup).

One highlight of the city is the national museum Te Papa. It's primary focus is on the maori culture but it also captures alot of natural history and the history of the English settlement. Housing, as well, the national art collection, it seems like a Smithsonian type of museum. It is extremely well done -- a new building right on the water, with very good interactive exhibits that draw you in.

Katy also saw the national portrait gallery -- a new collection. Right now, however, it contains only portraits of rugby players (in honor of the world cup) so it is hard to say what the full collection looks like.

Last night we had dinner with an old friend from the US -- Mark Binning -- who is doing well and seems happy picking grapes in his retirement. We went out to dinner with him and had a wonderful bottle of NZ pinot -- looking forward to wine country next week.

And today, we went up to the top of the nearby mountain for a view of the harbor and a walk in the NZ botanical garden. Good, interesting plant life on what was truly a beautiful day (high around 60).

On the whole we like this place though we have to say -- with apologies to our NZ friends -- that the government offices (known as the Beehive) are equal to some of Washington DC's truly modest office buildings.

Tonight we go to the rugby match -- US v. Australia. Katy is already "rugby-ed out" but like a trooper is marching on. Sadly, we aren't likely to win the match. But it should be lots of fun seeing something we haven't seen before.

On our Way ....

Well ... we are on our way. We left DC this morning and we are now at the LAX airport on a layover waiting for the flight to Sydney. We had 7+ hours here in LA, so instead of hanging around the airport we grabbed a cab and headed for the beach -- Manhattan Beach to be specific. It's only about 15 minutes away but, as you can see, it might as well be on a separate planet. On a beautiful clear day with a stiff breeze from the ocean, the beach was not too crowded, but the beach volleyball was in full swing.

Manhattan Beach is a pleasant beach-side town with a steep hill down to the water. After a walk along the boardwalk and out to the pier, we had a meal at Cafe Pierre where they had a great heirloom tomato salad and a nice cheese tray. It was a quiet start to the trip.

And now it is on to Sydney. For those at home following along, the itinerary looks something like this:

3 days in Sydney getting acclimated and enjoying the Opera House view

3 days in Wellington (capital of New Zealand at the south end of the northern island) meeting old friends and watching the US play Australia in the Rugby World Cup

3 days in Nelson (confusingly on the north end of the south island!), trying out the near by wine country and art, and watching the US v. Italy match

6 days driving south from Nelson to Queenstown with stops along the way down the West Coast of the south island of New Zealand. The highlight will be the helicopter ride onto Franz Josef glacier (unless we go crazy and try bungee jumping in Queenstown .... NOT!)

5 days in Rotarua (back on the north island again), including a 4 day hike up into the nearby mountains (max altitude only 3000 feet this time around)

3 days in Adelaide Australia, trying wine from the McLaren Vale

and finally, 3 days, in Cairns on the Great Barrier Reef for some sun and fun and a visit to the coral reefs.

After that its back to Sydney to get our flight home. Should be exciting and exhausting.

Off to New Zealand ....

And so, another adventure begins. This Saturday we leave for Australia and New Zealand (land of the Long White Cloud) for a month long vacation.

The core of the vacation is the Rugby World Cup -- a quadrennial event being hosted this year in New Zealand. Paul is a big rugby fan, and Katy has graciously consented to attend two games.

But since we will be gone for 29 days, there will be lots else to do. We start in Sydney for a quick visit, then over to Wellington for some culture; Nelson for rugby and wine tasting; followed by a 6 day drive down the west coast of the South Island, ending in Queenstown. After that we hop to the North Island and Rotarua, where we will spend 4 days hiking (the NZ folk call it "tramping") in Maori country, before flying back to Australia. There we will hit Adelaide (again for the wine) and make a stop in Cairns to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef. Should be exciting!